Qureshi called for multilateralism amid Covid pandemic

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday expressed regret that some states took advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to advance their illegal activities and actions and called for the world to give primacy to multilateralism and adopt cooperative approaches.

Addressing the virtual TRT World Forum, titled ‘New Realities in Foreign Affairs and Interstate Relations after Covid-19’, Qureshi highlighted the challenges facing multilateralism due to rising geopolitical tensions, extremist ideologies and unilateralism accentuated by Covid-19 pandemic.

The foreign minister cautioned against political stigmatisation of the Covid-19 pandemic which could jeopardise cooperation among states. “He called for giving primacy to multilateralism and adopting cooperative approaches,” the Foreign Office said in a press release.

Underscoring the need for global response to fight Covid-19, the foreign minister highlighted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s call for “Global Initiative on Debt Relief” for developing countries to effectively deal with the adverse economic impacts of the pandemic.

Drawing attention to the unabated atrocities in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Qureshi highlighted the crippling restrictions on civil liberties, systematic human rights violations, and India’s illegal measures to change the demographic structure of the IIOJK.

In the context of the Afghan peace process, the foreign minister emphasised that dialogue and diplomacy were the only way forward.

Urging international community to resolutely oppose the divisive policies based on prejudice, discrimination and Islamophobia, Qureshi stressed the need for building interfaith and cross-cultural bridges. He called for common resolve against xenophobia, intolerance and incitement to violence on the basis of religion or belief.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Foreign Minister of Finland Pekka Haavisto also participated in the session. In his remarks Cavusoglu concurred with Qureshi on the rising trends of xenophobia, Islamophobia, racism, hate speech and underscored the need for a cooperative approach to deal with these challenges.

The TRT World Forum is a platform that brings together eminent leaders and politicians, academics, journalists and distinguished members of the civil society from across the world to discuss global challenges.